Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: OPINION

Best Movies of 2008

It seemed many hotly anticipated ambitious offerings ended in disappointment this year ("Pineapple Express," "Vantage Point"), but genre efforts defied expectations and ended up putting a spin on films we all thought we'd seen before. Here are the year's 10 best.

1. "Slumdog Millionaire" (dir. Danny Boyle) (starts today at the Angelika Plano)
The year 2008 proved itself an easy one to be cynical. But Boyle's film about a lowest-class street urchin who makes his way to the final round of the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," makes it impossible to remain that way. One of the most joyful films I have ever seen. I wanted to stand up and cheer in the theater.

2. "The Dark Knight" (dir. Christopher Nolan)
Not just a landmark comic book movie, but a landmark film on its own accord. Sure, the late Heath Ledger has a lock on an Oscar, but no one should discount the rest of the fantastic cast and crew. This could have easily landed at No. 1.

3. "U2 3D" (dirs. Mark Pellington & Catherine Owens)
While it doesn't try to reach the insightfulness of "The Last Waltz," this three-dimensional concert film stands as the year's best moviegoing experience. It could never feel as awesome anywhere other than an IMAX theater.

4. "WALL-E" (dir. Andrew Stanton)
Nearly every Pixar film could hold its own among the ranks of great cinema, but this visionary effort, part futuristic love story, part scathing indictment of a lazy society, is one that could truly be called a work of art.

5. "The Wrestler" (dir. Darren Aronofsky) (opens in Dallas on Jan. 9, 2009)
While the focus will stay on Mickey Rourke's heartbreaking performance, the film as a whole plays as an ode to the has-beens of the world. Another labor of love from the polarizing director.

6. "Iron Man" (dir. Jon Favreau)
While it will always live in the shadow of "The Dark Knight," this comic book flick, featuring a tailor-made performance from Robert Downey Jr., belongs on everyone's DVD shelf.

7. "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (dir. Nicholas Stoller)
Some audiences and critics suffered from "Judd Apatow fatigue," myself included, so what a breath of fresh air this raunchy and sweet comedy was, as it balances the two much better than any of Apatow's previous efforts.

8. "Tropic Thunder" (dir. Ben Stiller)
A razor-sharp satire aimed at the Hollywood elite, Stiller and company (including another great turn from Robert Downey Jr. as the Australian method actor playing a black platoon sergeant) bite the hand that feeds them in a vicious send-up of war movies and prima donna actors.

9. "American Teen" (dir. Nanette Burstein)
Some have questioned her filmmaking methods, but the Academy Award-nominated director has crafted/observed something MTV has always hoped for but could never achieve: real drama out of true reality.

10. "Kung Fu Panda" (dirs. Mark Osborne and John Stevenson)
Defying all my expectations, this animated Jack Black vehicle won a place in my heart for staying true to itself. Every joke in this film belongs here. Don't go looking for pop culture references or mediocrity.

Best Albums of 2008

1. "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" by Coldplay
As ambitious and grandiose as rock music gets. Of everything released this year, I kept coming back to Chris Martin and company's quasi-concept album, a collection of tracks that continues to get better with each listen.

2. "Only by the Night" by Kings of Leon
The band's last two albums took giant leaps forward, but here, the Followill family took a more lateral shift, but that's just fine with me. More Southern-fried heartbreakers.

3. "Feed the Animals" by Girl Talk
Even more creative than "Night Ripper," DJ Gregg Gillis' impeccable taste and uncanny mash-up ability made for the year's best party album.

4. "Narrow Stairs" by Death Cab for Cutie
Continuing to make its claim for the best band in the United States, Death Cab's latest album added new layers both instrumental and lyrical to its sound. The band may have had the year's only 8-minute hit single. And songs like "Your New Twin-Sized Bed" and "You Can Do Better than Me" go straight for your emotions, making it impossible not to break down.

5. "Rebel" by Lecrae
It's not every day one man legitimizes an entire subgenre of music, but NT alumnus Lecrae Moore has proved himself once more, creating not only the best religious album of the year, but one of the best hip-hop albums. Sorry, Jay-Z and R. Kelly, this guy's got the best of both worlds.

6. "Perfect Symmetry" by Keane
Come on, get happy! Once known for wistful ballads, the group lightened up a bit and created the year's best pop album. A departure for sure, but a truly delightful trip.

7. "American Teen (Music from the Motion Picture)" by Various Artists
While soundtracks like "Twilight" just threw some songs that might have something to do with the picture onto a CD, director Nanette Burnstein chose these songs because they simply work in her documentary, and they play just as well on your iPod.

8. "808s and Heartbreak" by Kanye West
Color me surprised. When I first heard "Love Lockdown," I wondered what Kanye was on. But hearing the final product in context, it made perfect sense. If "Graduation" was just that, this had to become the next step. He has never opened up like this before. Like the cover, this album reveals his heart.

9. "With Buzzing in Our Ears We Play Endlessly" by Sigur Rós
One would not expect a band as glorious as this Icelandic group to start playing raw folk music, but somehow, it works. A strange band just got stranger.

10. "Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!" by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Though the band made a name for itself with some of the most depressing songs known to man, this album finds the Australian group rocking harder than most bands anywhere in the world.

Mixtape of Good

From the hipster's version of Loverboy's "Workin' for the Weekend" to the best "American Idol" winner since Kelly Clarkson, to an actress with a serious Tom Waits obsession, here's a sampling of the year's best, conveniently arranged as a playlist. You're welcome.

"Play Your Part, Pt. 1" by Girl Talk
"A-Punk" by Vampire Weekend
"Time to Pretend" by MGMT
"I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You" by Black Kids
"Spiraling" by Keane
"Grounds for Divorce" by Elbow
"Sex on Fire" by Kings of Leon
"The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" by Weezer
"Identity" by Lecrae ft. Da TRUTH and J.R.
"Dawn of the Dead" by Does it Offend You, Yeah?
"Your New Twin-Sized Bed" by Death Cab for Cutie
"Always Be My Baby" by David Cook
"Anywhere I Lay My Head" by Scarlett Johansson
"Viva La Vida" by Coldplay
"The Lightning Strike" by Snow Patrol

Mixtape of Evil

Mixtape of Evil

Out of all the following songs, no one in the Daily office could decide on the ultimate bad track. So here's a diabolic playlist of the year's most atrocious tunes. Listen if you dare.

"Addicted" by Saving Abel
"I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry
"Womanizer" by Britney Spears
"So What" by Pink
"When I Grow Up" by the Pussycat Dolls
"Damaged" by Danity Kane
"Fall for You" by Secondhand Serenade
"Shackler's Revenge" by Guns N' Roses
"Citizen Soldier" by 3 Doors Down
"Warrior" by Kid Rock
"Handlebars" by Flobots
"In the Ayer" by Flo Rida ft. will.i.am
"Yahh!" by Soulja Boy
"Party People" by Nelly and Fergie

Winter Releases

MOVIES:
Nov. 21: "Bolt," "Twilight"
Nov. 26: "Australia," "Four Christmases," "Transporter 3," "Milk"
Dec. 5: "Cadillac Records," "Punisher: War Zone," "Frost/Nixon"
Dec. 10: "The Reader"
Dec. 12: "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "Doubt"
Dec. 17: "Gran Torino," "The Wrestler"
Dec. 19: "Seven Pounds," "The Tale of Despereaux," "Yes Man," "The Brothers Bloom"
Christmas Day: "Bedtime Stories," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Marley & Me," "The Spirit"
Dec. 26: "Valkyrie," "Revolutionary Road"
Dec. 31: "Defiance"

ALBUMS:
Nov. 23: "Chinese Democracy" by Guns N' Roses
Nov. 24: "808s & Heartbreak" by Kanye West, "Day & Age" by The Killers, "Theater of the Mind" by Ludacris
Nov. 25: "Alone II " by Rivers Cuomo, "Prospekt's March" by Coldplay, "The Ball Street Journal" by E-40
Dec. 2: "Circus" by Britney Spears, "Freedom" by Akon
Dec. 9: "Universal Mind Control" by Common, "Human" by Brandy, "On My Radio" by Musiq Soulchild, "A Cross the Universe" by Justice
Dec. 16: "A Different Me" by Keyshia Cole, "Man's Intuition" by Jamie Foxx, "Folie à Deux" by Fall Out Boy, "When the World Comes Down" by The All-American Rejects, "Love vs. Money" by The-Dream, "Da REAList" by Plies, "Live at Mile High Music Festival" by Dave Matthews Band

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